Welcome to the 5th life of Noshtopia.{insert Steph giggling a bit} I giggle because those of you who were with me in the Back in Skinny Jeans days know that I have revived this blog so many times like it was a cat with nine lives. Have a seat as I tell you about the latest revival.
As you can see, I made some Extreme Makeover like changes around the house because well mainly, as I said in a Social Media Club panel I was on, "Your blog will evolve as you evolve." I've been evolving quite a bit since leaving SF and Silicon Valley this Fall and moving to my new home in Phoenix, Arizona.
What happened to my online voice?
Since I retired Back in Skinny Jeans in June 2009, here's what I've been doing:
- I’ve been blogging here on Noshtopia although not as much as or as in depth as I used to on BISJ.
- I’ve been working on turning BISJ into a book.
- I've launched an iPhone app called, "Back in Skinny Jeans: 25 Inspiring Weight Loss Nudges."
- I've created Back in Skinny Jeans and Noshtopia Facebook fan pages. The BISJ fan page is more for the iPhone app and for when the book comes out.
- Still trying to figure out the blog monetizing thing which is why I'm now focused on more product development stuff which actually makes money versus advertising.
- I have grown my presence on Twitter both @skinnyjeans and @noshtopia.
- I have been working on growing my presence here in Phoenix by going to as many social media, food, life, and business events as I can.
While working on the book and getting grounded in a new city, there is one thing, one BIG thing, which I have noticed in my web presence, and that is my voice disappeared…almost entirely.
Yes, I blog, tweet, and Facebook, but I stopped writing deeper posts where I pontificated about life. I stopped sharing details of my life like I used to on BISJ. My tweets and blog posts are still helpful and giving, but they don’t have as much of the “Stephanie” in them as they used to. I also pulled back on the amount of comments and online conversations I used to have with others in the blogosphere.
What are people missing?
I can’t tell you how many emails, DMs, and Facebook messages I get saying, “I really miss Back in Skinny Jeans.” It occurred to me that what they are really missing is my voice. People miss me sharing that voice that helped others on their own self journey to better health and happier lives by sharing my own.
So, why did I pull back? That is a whole other blog post, but I will share later on because it is a fascinating tale in self-realization and coming to terms with web fame.
{insert Justin Timberlake} I’m bringing Stephie back
Today, I will tell you that I’m bringing that voice back slowly but surely and I think it’s will be exciting at least if not refreshing to have “me” back online again. So, here’s some of the plan for now:
- My web presence is all over the place. I have like half a dozen blogs, different online names on various social media sites that I use or don’t use, and so it makes me look like I have multiple persona disorder online. It’s confusing to find me or get what I do. I know many of you can relate to being all over the place online. So, I am in the process of tying everything under Noshtopia, so people have just one place to go to for everything I do.
- Nosthtopia will become my personal blog, my personal home online where I talk about what’s on my mind, what I have to share, and what’s going on in my world. I have never had a personal blog before. All my blogs were designed to be a specific topic so that eventually I could sell them. BISJ did have much of my personal life on there, but there was also plenty of magazine-like content on there so that you could pull me out of it, and yet the healthy living voice of BISJ could still go on.
The business person in me dictated that type of blog format and honestly, although it has been good in many ways, that strategy has made me feel uptight about sharing my personal life and personal point of view on things. Why? Because, the business person in me thinks, “What big corporation wants to buy a blog built on someone’s personal life?” A blog like Tree Hugger could sell to Discovery because it’s a blog focused on a specific topic, Green, versus a blog based on a specific person like The Pioneer Woman whose whole blog is about her life as a woman, wife, and mother living on a ranch. I want to try being just me in the blog.
- Noshtopia will still have a strong healthy eating food theme to it because food is my life. There will still be recipes, ideas, and inspiration. Food and Life are two topics for me that are intertwined like rope. It also dawned on me that some of my best and most fascinating conversations about life happened over food like at a dinner party or at a café with friends.
So, the theme is now, “Connect Deliciously” which is where I am at in my own life, and reflects my beliefs about connecting online, with oneself, and with humans in real life. I'm getting better at leaving the screen, and meeting people the old-fashioned way... in person. I will write my posts as if we are eating or having a latte or a happy hour cocktail like what I do in my everyday life. I will still share recipes and food ideas and tips, but I will also bring back some of the things I did in BISJ that were popular like “Skinny Tips”, the healthy living tips related to mind, body, spirit, and Tiny Changes Tuesday. Here, I will call them “Tiny Acts of Change” and share on Tue and Thu.
I’ll also share my tips on social media and making a living as a lifestyle blogger because people are always fascinated by how one can make a living or a difference in the world through blogging and tweeting. I'm also good at translating Geek speak into Oprah speak, "How can social media help you live your best life" or to add a Steph spin, "How can social media help you live your most authentic life."
- To focus on the local food scene in Phoenix, I have created a section of Noshtopia called, “Noshtopia Phoenix.” Here I will share all the awesome things I eat and all the cool foodies I meet in Phoenix. This way I can build my online presence locally and not bombard everyone who doesn’t live in Arizona, on the main part of the Noahtopia.com blog.
- Noshtopia iPhone Pics will broaden from just food shots to anything cool I can take a picture of with my iPhone. I’ve been having so much fun with my iPhone camera and haven’t had any place to really put my non-food iPhone pics, so now we do.
That’s it for now. As usual, please share any comments, suggestions, or thoughts you have. I love to hear all feedback. Again, welcome to my personal blog! I’m looking forward to what noshy adventures lay ahead :)
